The Spirit of Sweetgrass
Registered by 
bookczuk
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA on 3/12/2009
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
bookczuk of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA on 3/12/2009 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
Left by a patron at the one of the local spots that has a BookCrossing bookshelf, so I am registering it for them and returning it to wander the world as a BookCrossing book. I have not read this book, but it's Southern Fiction, set inmy beloved lowcountry, so I'll probably give it a whirl. I'm a sucker for sweetgrass.
Sweet little tale set in Mount Pleasant (which is essentially part of Charleston where I live). It's told by Essie Mae Laveau Jenkins, a 78-year-old sweetgrass basket weaver. (Interesting to me especially since I just bought 2 sweetgrass baskets for wedding presents. Javaczuk and I were given a sweetgrass basket for a wedding gift 25 years ago, and it graces our supper table all the time.) What's especially interesting to me is that so many Charleston based tales focus on the historic or plantation culture, or have a strong African American woman as a "supporting actress" category. This book plunks us down right int the middle of the basket weavers, and keeps us there. The story is Essie Mae's, and while others enter into it, she is the central character, discovering her strengths as we do, to.
Essie Mae spends her days sitting in her sweetgrass stand on the side of Hwy. 17 in the company of her dead husband, Daddy Jim. As she sews her baskets, she weaves a tale that involves her family, the art of sweetgrass basket-making, Gullah culture, love, sorrow, and a little voodoo mixed in. There's a bit of heaven thrown in there, too, as well as strength of family.
I found it a gentle tale, and was quite impressed that the artwork on the cover was done by the author, and that this was a first novel
Essie Mae spends her days sitting in her sweetgrass stand on the side of Hwy. 17 in the company of her dead husband, Daddy Jim. As she sews her baskets, she weaves a tale that involves her family, the art of sweetgrass basket-making, Gullah culture, love, sorrow, and a little voodoo mixed in. There's a bit of heaven thrown in there, too, as well as strength of family.
I found it a gentle tale, and was quite impressed that the artwork on the cover was done by the author, and that this was a first novel
Journal Entry 3 by bookczuk at Muddy Waters Coffee Bar 1739 Maybank Hwy At Folly in Charleston, South Carolina USA on Wednesday, February 5, 2014
bookczuk at Muddy Waters Coffee Bar 1739 Maybank Hwy At Folly in Charleston, South Carolina USA on Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Released 10 yrs ago (2/4/2014 UTC) at Muddy Waters Coffee Bar 1739 Maybank Hwy At Folly in Charleston, South Carolina USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
To the finder of this book:
Welcome to BookCrossing, a unique community of book lovers, sharing their libraries with the world. This book is now yours to read, enjoy, keep or pass on to another reader. The BookCrossing ID, which you entered in the "Enter a BCID" box on the website, is unique to this copy of this book. If you make a journal entry (either anonymously, or as a BookCrossing member) all previous readers of this actual book will be notified by email, and can follow the book as it travels. BookCrossing is free to join, completely confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address) and a heck of a lot of fun. Be on the lookout for other books left in the "Wild"!
PS And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, there may be local BookCrossers who meet regularly in your area. Come join us!
Welcome to BookCrossing, a unique community of book lovers, sharing their libraries with the world. This book is now yours to read, enjoy, keep or pass on to another reader. The BookCrossing ID, which you entered in the "Enter a BCID" box on the website, is unique to this copy of this book. If you make a journal entry (either anonymously, or as a BookCrossing member) all previous readers of this actual book will be notified by email, and can follow the book as it travels. BookCrossing is free to join, completely confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address) and a heck of a lot of fun. Be on the lookout for other books left in the "Wild"!
PS And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, there may be local BookCrossers who meet regularly in your area. Come join us!
